Same job at other shop types (everything else as set above): Independent shop (~$100/hr) $31–$61 (the headline above) · Chain shop / franchise (~$120/hr) $41–$82 · Dealership (~$175/hr) $61–$102. Each figure applies that shop type's hourly labor rate (market estimates, shown above) to the calculator's own hours and parts assumptions. It is modeled, not a quote.
Check a quote against these ranges
This sets your number beside published ranges and owner-written bills. It is not a verdict: ask the shop what the quote includes (parts grade, labor hours, fees, tax). It runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Counts below are complaints filed with NHTSA, not failure rates: a longer bar means more owners reported it.
Is your car affected?
What it shows: The most common band for complaints about this repair is under 50,000 (81%), against 60% for all complaints: the biggest difference between the two.
What it shows: The most common band for complaints about this repair is under 3 years old (67%), against 40% for all complaints: the biggest difference between the two.
Is it urgent, and what do owners notice first?
137 owner complaints name this part.
Owners most often describe "noise", in 7% of these complaints.
How fast were owners driving when it happened?
55 mph or faster is the largest group at 83%, out of 84 complaints.
Owners reported it most often at highway speed. Tell the shop what speed it happens at, because that narrows the diagnosis.
Which model years show up most in the complaints?
2015 is the most common model year in 124 complaints naming this part (17%); 4 model years account for 56%.
What it shows: 2015 is the largest at 21 (17%), followed by 2016 at 19 (15%); the smallest shown is 2025 at 4 (3%).
What do state inspectors fail cars for?
Among 8,738,476 initial safety inspections in North Carolina in 2017, tires caused 8.5 failed items per 1,000 inspections, more than any of the other three parts the state reports.
What it shows: Tires is the largest at 8.5, followed by Lights at 5.2; the smallest shown is Brake components at 1.9.
Was my tire a known defect, and which tire lines has NHTSA recalled?
NHTSA lists 139 tire recall campaigns filed since 2015 (every tire recall), covering 4,604,281 tires; the largest, Amp Mud Terrain Attack M/T in 2024, covered 673,000.
What it shows: Amp Mud Terrain Attack M/T is the largest at 673,000, followed by Michelin Agilis Crossclimate C-Metric at 542,110; the smallest shown is Bf Goodrich Commercial T/A A/S 2 at 104,000.
Does vehicle age change how underinflated tires are?
NHTSA's 2001 measurement of 11,530 vehicles found 8% of tires on cars 3 years old or newer underinflated by 8 psi or more against 15% on cars over 6 years old, and 12% against 24% on pickups, SUVs and vans.
Share of tires deviating 8 psi or more from the maker's pressure, by vehicle age, measured in 2001. 3 years or newer, pickups and SUVs: 12%; 3 to 6 years, pickups and SUVs: 15%; Over 6 years, pickups and SUVs: 24%.
How many miles a year does my kind of vehicle really drive?
In the 2022 National Household Travel Survey, Van owners report driving an average 15,194 miles a year against 13,298 for Pickup owners, and 24.5% of Van owners drive 15,000 miles or more (reported mileage, survey-weighted).
| Vehicle type | Average miles per year | Share driven 15,000 miles or more | Vehicles surveyed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van | 15,194 | 24.5% | 648 |
| Car | 14,950 | 20.6% | 6,232 |
| SUV | 14,351 | 21.5% | 4,479 |
| Pickup | 13,298 | 22% | 2,331 |
Which tire on the car fails most often?
Driver-side front is the largest group at 5, out of 10 complaints (a small sample, so treat it as a hint).
Which tire on the car failed, as owners reported it. Driver-side front: 5; Passenger-side front: 3; Passenger-side rear: 2.
Check that tire first, but look at all four: every position is in the reports.
How old were the tires when owners reported the problem?
2 to 3 years is the largest group at 3, out of 6 complaints (a small sample, so treat it as a hint).
A tire's age is printed on its sidewall as a four-digit date code (week and year): check yours.
Has the maker published a fix?
A bulletin is a repair procedure a maker sends its dealers, not a safety defect: if your maker is listed, ask the dealer whether one covers your car and quote its number.
| Maker | Vehicles | Bulletin number | Date | What it says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi | Outlander 2022; Eclipse Cross 2022 | TIN-22-31-001REV | Aug 31, 2022 | This is a Revised Technical Information Notice advising dealers that 2022 Eclipse Cross has been added to the investigation of wheel balance concerns at PDI or shortly after delivery. |
| Chevrolet | Silverado 2500 2015–2021; Silverado 1500 2017–2018 | 100310001F | Mar 1, 2021 | This informational bulletin provides information on Wheel Balancer Mounting Instructions. |
| Genesis | G70 2019–2020; G90 2018–2020 and 2 more | 20-SS-004H | Nov 19, 2020 | This bulletin provides tire vibration service procedures, including how to optimize vehicle vibration performance. |
| Volvo | S60CC 2016–2019; XC60 2015–2019 and 12 more | ST-227-2018-08-1 | Aug 18, 2018 | Road Force wheel balancing is the proper tool for diagnosing and repairing such issues and all of our retailers need to be prepared for these issues. |
| Toyota | Tundra 2016–2018 | SET-TSB-18-001 | Apr 3, 2018 | Discusses best practices and proper equipment operation when addressing tire balance concerns on Tundra models equipped with Southeast Toyota accessory tire and wheel packages. |
| Toyota | 4runner 2017–2018 | SET-TSB-18-002 | Apr 3, 2018 | Discusses best practices and proper equipment operation when addressing tire balance concerns on 4Runner models equipped with Southeast Toyota accessory tire and wheel packages. |
10 more bulletins name this part; the car finder at the top checks yours, and the NHTSA bulletin file linked below lists them all.
What do owners say?
4 complaints quoted word for word, each with its NHTSA number.
I took it to the dealership and they balanced the tires and charged me $120.00.
Tires were problematic at less than 36K miles, but dealer did not mention anything other than a need to rotate and balance the tires.
I religiously bring my vehicle into the dealer for all maintenance, including rotating and balancing the tires every 3,000 miles.
Took it to have the front wheel balance checked and each wheel has +2 oz (06-08-17 1025 miles) the wheel balance fixed the steering wheel vibration problem.
Check your car
Tire balancing costs $31–$61 for all four tires at the calculator's default setting, a flat rate of $8–$15 per tire. The shop type you pick and the number of tires you balance move that total.
What does the estimate cover, and what does it leave out?
The estimate is the balancing service for the tires you choose, priced as a flat rate per tire and then totaled.
It leaves out anything a shop adds around the job: taxes and fees, new tires, mounting a tire onto a wheel, and repairs found once the wheels are off. RepairPal's published range for balancing is $37–$55, and it says that range excludes taxes and fees and does not factor in your location (RepairPal). A quote well outside both ranges is a reason to ask what else is on the bill.
Frequently asked questions
Does balancing cost less when I rotate or replace tires at the same visit?
That depends on the shop. Ask whether balancing is included or discounted when it is bundled, and get the answer on the quote.
Is the price per tire or per set?
Our estimate is a flat rate per tire, then totaled. A shop that quotes a set price should tell you how many tires it covers.
Sources
Data shown on this page
- NHTSA owner complaint file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA service bulletin file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) downloaded 2026-10-05
- North Carolina Division of Air Quality, Vehicle Safety and Emissions Inspection Frequency Study data from 2017
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall flat file (tire recalls, report type T) downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA National Center for Statistics and Analysis, Tire Pressure Special Study: Vehicle Observation Data (DOT HS 809 317) data from 2001
- FHWA, 2022 NextGen National Household Travel Survey, vehicle file downloaded 2026-10
Terms: US government data, public domain.
Observed: records as filed; owner reports are unverified and are not failure rates. Reported: figures as reported by the publisher, not independently verified.
What is our own estimate
The price range comes from our calculator's formula. Its parts prices, labor hours per job and shop-rate tiers are CalcScrape estimates, not a published price dataset. Checked against RepairPal's range ($37–$55) on 2026-10-10: our default's midpoint is 0% above the middle of that range. Price evidence grade C: one outside published range; the hours and parts prices behind the estimate are CalcScrape assumptions and have not been checked against repair invoices. Methodology